The Rancher's Second Chance (Martin's Crossing Book 3) by Brenda Minton Read Free Book Online

his dark eyes.
    “Brody, I’m just a wondering when you’re going to hang up your running shoes.”
    “Running isn’t good for your knees, Brody.” Grace understood the double meaning but she jumped in anyway. Anything to see his face turn red.
    “I haven’t been running, Grace.”
    The other gentleman laughed at that. “Brody, as far as I can tell, you’ve been running for a year. Looks to me as if it finally caught up with you.”
    Brody shot her an I-told-you-so look. She’d jumped in, thinking Brody would be the target. But it was suddenly clear that in Martin’s Crossing, no one got a break. For the next hour she took her share of teasing. When Brody’s brothers and their wives showed up, they made sure Brody took his fair share of ribbing. It felt good to be a part of that crowd, and to spend time laughing and not worrying.
    When Brody walked her back to the apartment an hour later, Grace was exhausted but still amused. She’d learned a lot about Brody Martin in their time with his family and with old-timers who’d known him all his life.
    “You really rode a bull through the school?” she asked as she unlocked the door.
    Brody lifted one shoulder in a casual shrug and reached to push the door open. He flipped on the lights inside and stepped back for her to enter.
    “A friend dared me.”
    “Do you always take dares?” For reasons unknown even to her, Grace’s voice softened. She looked up and saw Brody watching her, his blue eyes intent.
    She wanted to touch him. She wanted to brush her hands over the dark shadows on his cheeks. She wanted to lean in and inhale his scent.
    Instead, she took a step back, knowing that they didn’t have a future. She’d broken his heart once. And Brody didn’t trust easily. She had a baby to think about. This was definitely not the time for distractions.
    “Brody, thank you. For letting me stay here and for not being angry.”
    “Oh, I’m still angry, Grace. That doesn’t mean I don’t care.” He kissed her cheek and walked away.
    She drew in a deep breath as she locked the door behind him, then leaned against it. A tear slid down her cheek.
    She brushed it away because crying did no good. She’d gotten herself into this mess and she’d survive. Somehow.

Chapter Four
    B rody sat in the exam room long after the doctor had handed him a sheet of instructions and left. The diagnosis hadn’t been a surprise, but he’d been given a royally good chewing out for putting off this visit for so long. He guessed he’d just hoped it would go away. He’d guessed wrong. Rheumatoid arthritis didn’t go away. Neither would the cartilage damage in his knee. But at least surgery could clean that up. The upside, if there was one, is that it would probably respond to treatment and even go into remission. Men, he’d learned, had less severe cases of RA than women.
    At least he knew the prognosis.
    He couldn’t sit in this room for the rest of the day, avoiding his life. He pulled on his boots, shoved his hat down on his head and left the exam room behind.
    He headed for the waiting room and Grace. He’d stopped at Duke’s for coffee that morning and she’d been there. When she’d found out he was heading to Austin, she’d asked for a ride. Of course he hadn’t been able to tell her no.
    He was going to have to practice if she planned on staying in Martin’s Crossing any length of time. He mumbled, “No, Grace,” to himself, then shook his head. He was really losing it.
    “No, Grace, I don’t need someone to hold my hand,” he grumbled. “No, Grace. I don’t think I’ll give you a second chance,” he whispered to himself.
    “Are you talking to me?”
    She was heading toward him, coming out a door near the exit.
No, Grace.
The words evaporated as she stepped close, a sweet expression on her face, lingering dark brown eyes. She could turn a man into a fool with that look.
    “Nope,” he said. He’d been talking to himself. It made him half-mad that he